Raul Castro revisits revolution landmark

Santiago, Cuba

President Raul Castro returned Saturday to the military barracks where he and his brother Fidel launched Cuba's revolution, addressing thousand of supporters amid questions about whether he will announce more changes to remake the island's communist system.

Castro spoke as the sun set over the jagged peaks of the Sierra Maestra range that rings Santiago, Cuba's second-largest city. At his back stood the orange and white Moncada military complex where he and Fidel led a band of rebels that launched an attack 55 years ago, planting the seeds for a revolution that succeeded in January 1959.

Since taking office five months ago, Raul Castro has opened more unused state land to private farmers, legalized cellphones for ordinary citizens and allowed some workers to seek legal title to their homes.

Ahmadabad, India

At least 16 bombs rock historic city

Bombs exploded Saturday near a busy market and a hospital in a western Indian city, killing 29 people and injuring 88 a day after deadly blasts struck the southern technology hub of Bangalore.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility and it was not clear whether the bombings were connected to those a day earlier. But suspicion for both quickly fell on Muslim militants who were blamed for previous attacks, including the 2006 bombings that ripped through Mumbai's commuter-rail network and killed nearly 200.

At least 16 bombs went off Saturday evening in several crowded neighborhoods of Ahmadabad — a crowded and historic city that in 2002 was the scene of some of the worst rioting between India's Hindu majority and its Muslim minority.

Tehran, Iran

Leader says more centrifuges in place

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday that his country dramatically had expanded the number of machines at its disposal producing enriched uranium, defying international demands for the country to halt the production of nuclear material.

But the hard-line leader, quoted by official and semiofficial media, also appeared to suggest that Iran might be willing to stop adding more centrifuges, a condition for preliminary talks to end the diplomatic standoff over Iran's nuclear program.

And experts played down the significance of Ahmadinejad's claim. "It's not just the number of centrifuges that counts," said a Western diplomat in Tehran, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It's whether they're running and how well."

Still, he added, Ahmadinejad's assertion "won't help" resolve the standoff between Iran and the West.

Acapulco, Mexico

Fishing nets blamed for sea-turtle deaths

Environmental officials in Mexico say dozens of dead sea turtles apparently killed in fishing nets have washed up on beaches in recent days.

Authorities say 59 Olive Ridley turtles have been found on beaches in and around the resort of Acapulco.

Environmental protection officer Manuel de Jesus Solis says his agency found 12 dead turtles bearing marks apparently caused by fishing nets. It was unclear which fishing boats were involved.

Victor Berdejo says another 47 dead turtles were found by personnel at a turtle-protection area he supervises.

The sea turtles, once hunted in Mexico for their meat and eggs, were declared a protected species in 1990. Fishermen are required to include turtle escape devices in their nets.

London

Prince the lookout during copter raid

Prince William took part in a British navy helicopter raid that opened fire on a speedboat believed to be used by drug runners, the Ministry of Defense said Saturday.

It was the second time the prince — known in the Royal Navy as Sub-Lt. Wales — helped his crew mates on the HMS Iron Duke go after suspected narcotics traffickers in the Caribbean as part of his program to gain experience in all the branches of the British armed forces.

A military spokesman said the Iron Duke intercepted the speedboat on July 18 about 110 miles north of Venezuela's and Colombia's coastlines.

William was the lookout on the Lynx helicopter deployed to track the boat as marksmen shot out the vessel's engine. Three Colombians were arrested when the Iron Duke, the British frigate from which the helicopter operates, caught up with the stricken speedboat.

Also

Authorities in northeastern India have asked the army to help protect endangered one-horned rhinoceroses from poachers and have made the soldiers honorary wildlife wardens, officials said Saturday. "The army will now assist the authorities at the Kaziranga National Park in protecting the rhino," park Director S.N. Buragohain said. The 267-square-mile park, 135 miles east of Gauhati, the capital of Assam state, is home to more than 1,800 of the world's estimated 3,000 one-horned rhinoceroses. Poachers killed about 20 rhinos in the park last year and six have been killed this year.

Seattle Times news services